Observations
by optimistcreed
Summary: One small moment, witnessed and interperated by four different people, can put so many things into perspective.
1. Chapter 1

disclaimer: All characters and likeness belong to Tite Kudo.

Observations

Toshiro watched the exchange, with little to no interest. It was quick, unexpected yes, but harmless. He knew of their history...friends for survival, friends for necessity, lovers...well, he didn't believe rumors.

And lovers, from what he'd gathered through observation of others, didn't interact as these two. Or did they?

Scanning over the two again, he noticed a few things he had missed previously. Firstly, he hadn't noticed until now, that she didn't address him as Captain and he didn't seem all that bothered by it. His name seemed to roll effortlessly off her tongue, dull to the word formation, possibly from overuse. Secondly, his fingers, lingered in her swing set curls, gently tugging, as he complimented her hair cut. A compliment. Were compliments on hair considered intimate? Furthermore, why had he, _her_ captain, not realized she had gotten her hair cut? Toshiro drug his foot across the ground in a circle, creating something else to watch, to focus on as the two continued conversing. Weather, sake, new regulations. No, none of these topics, topics he considered to be worthy of two friends who had crossed paths, and were enjoying a quick chat, ever came up. In fact, they didn't really talk. It was as if, words were not needed, at least not when the body, said everything that needed said...

As quickly as the moment began, it left, leaving in the air, a strong presence, of understanding, and lack thereof. He swiped his foot fluidly over his circle, watching the shadow on the ground, of his second, bounce back to him. He didn't look up. The heat on his cheeks would be enough to tell her he knew.

Perhaps there was some truth in rumors.


	2. Chapter 2

Observations

His captain was entirely too hard to keep up with. He wandered and worse, he wandered swiftly, always leaving behind his lieutenant, baffled and wondering when the hell the man would show up again. A bit pressed for time, Kira, sped up his pace, he needed to find his captain before night fell...these papers needed an official signature from the captain, no one else. He could hear deep, hardy laughter, as a group of off-duty Soul Reapers, filed out of a building ahead. Fighting his way politely through the crowd, he ducked into an alley, that allowed him to bypass most of the five o' clock congestion, that was moving slowly, yet surely, toward the bars. As he rounded a corner quickly, avoiding another instance of congestion, but he stumbled, preventing himself, if only barely, from colliding with the tenth division captain. Preparing to stutter out an apology, Kira noted, that Captain Hitsugaya, seemed to not even notice him. Then, Kira heard the voice.

"....cut your hair." his captain spoke softly, and Kira turned to see, what Captain Hitsugaya, had been busy watching.

"Not much Gin. Enough to keep it outta my eyes." she said playfully, as his fingers danced thoughtfully from curl to curl, retreating before they made any contact with skin. Kira heard, the scratching sound of earth being shifted, and glanced sideways to see Captain Hitsugaya, his head bowed, watching his foot. Kira watched his foot too, wondering what the little captain thought of this, shit what did he think of this? He'd heard, Rangiku slur a story or two about his captain and her growing up a couple of times when they drank, but he hadn't ever imagined, nor, believed half of them were true. The Ichimaru in her stories, wasn't the Ichimaru that he knew and respected. But here, glancing back at the two, he noticed something, and it hung in the air like a stale memory, clinging almost, to whatever passed silently between his captain's ever happy face and Rangiku's coy smirk. Hitsugaya's toe, drug swiftly across the ground, pulling Kira out of his thoughts, as Rangiku, bouncy as ever, waved at Kira.

"You just missed him." She said, as Hitsugaya raised his head in Kira's direction, revealing, what Kira would have sworn was the leftovers of a...

"I what? Oh, you've got to be kidding!" Kira exclaimed, mumbling a quick goodbye, before chasing once again after his captain.

Disclaimer: again, I do not own any of the characters or their likeness. They are the property of Tite Kubo.


End file.
